South Korea is proposing an official development assistance (ODA) budget for 2027 totaling 6.3 trillion won (about $4.6 billion), the government announced. The figure represents an increase of 871.2 billion won compared with the current year. The proposal is part of a comprehensive ODA plan for 2027, which the government approved in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han Seong-sook. The budget is not final yet: it will undergo a review by the Ministry of Planning and Budget and then requires approval by the National Assembly.
The 2027 plan is built around a mid-term ODA strategy released in May. It sets priority focus areas including healthcare, culture, and artificial intelligence as designated “strategic cooperation” sectors for the next five years. The government also plans to support drought and flood prevention projects, such as dam construction and river management, which it lists among key priorities. Officials say the approach combines general priority programs with projects tailored to the specific needs of recipient countries, with emphasis on leveraging culture and AI expertise.
